Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH Shares Purchased by Ashton Thomas Securities LLC

Ashton Thomas Securities LLC increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 242.4% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 12,543 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,880 shares during the quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $2,331,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.2% during the third quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 4,514 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $910,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 2,279 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $423,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. PFG Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 1,758 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $326,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Lindenwold Advisors INC boosted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Lindenwold Advisors INC now owns 14,994 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,022,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,673 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $306,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.30, for a total value of $3,052,861.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at $21,411,456.30. This trade represents a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.38% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $200.00 target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Friday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $226.00 to $206.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Evercore cut their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $236.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $201.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $205.33.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 0.8%

MRSH opened at $166.38 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $80.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.65. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $164.89 and a fifty-two week high of $235.78. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $173.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.21 by $0.08. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 14.26% and a return on equity of 31.87%. The firm had revenue of $7.30 billion for the quarter. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be given a $0.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 45.00%.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Profile

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE: MMC) is a global professional services firm headquartered in New York City that provides advice and solutions in the areas of risk, strategy and people. Founded in 1905, the company has grown into a diversified group of businesses focused on insurance brokerage and risk management, reinsurance, human capital and investment consulting, and management consulting. Its long history and scale position it as a prominent adviser to corporations, governments and other institutions seeking to manage risk and optimize human and financial capital.

The firm operates through several well-known subsidiaries and business units that specialize in distinct services.